The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-06
A Cowboy Dance.

Ipromised to tell you something .
the social event OF the season, a COW
boy dance which took place the 25th
OF last month on Shipman's ranch on
the Mizpah. 1t was the first Monta-
ma dance ] ever attended, and it prov
ed as good as a play. Nineteen cow
boys assembled to participate in the
festivities, and nineteen numbers were
sold for 50. so each, this being the sum
necessary to defray expenses. Each
received as he paid his share anum-
bered ticket, and when that number
was called by the master OF ceremo'
MES, he was expected to get partner
and dance. The available females
were seven, five single and two mar
ried. The dancing commenced at q
o'clock in the evening and was kept
up without q moments respite UNI
till seven O'Clock the next morn
ing. One set only could dance at a
time but the seven females were kept
on their feet about all night, as they
were Obliged to keep the nineteen
males constantly supplied with part.
ners from their number. They were
danced plenty" | assure you, though
they did not seem to al, but rather
expected and enjoyed It, There were
three musicians, or us one cowboy
told me on my way down, "E'here is
to be one violin and two fiddles."
However, only one fiddler played at
a time while the other two rested. On
account OF the excess OF the masculine
sex, aud from the fact that but one
set could dance at time | did not
dance more than once an hour, though
the manager called my name with inn
partiality,and | took my place on the
floor as regularly as it was called out.
For this, however, was not sorry,as
it gave me chance to look on, and
looking on was more entertaining
than the dancing. The modus
cperandi of securing a partner was
something as follows: A cowboy walk
ed up to a girl and said briefly "let's
dance" and without fur ther ado took
his place in The set, hands in his peck
cts, leaving the girl to follow him.
Then the fiddler struck out and the
prompter called the changes singing
ulllH Ills dllCtbiOllop JulO
with the melody that the fiddler was
grinding out. When the tune and dit
ty were familiar, all hands joined in.
A great many OF the changes and
terms were strange to my eastern
ears. The most frequent call was cal
limand" which translated, means all
men to the left. "Swing pards" was
another frequent Injunction, and the
boys did it with will, fairly tax.
ing the girls of their feet! AS little
outside refreshment the boys had six
bottles of Nixon's fire water out in the
barn.
As the dance proceeded, and the
boys got warmed up by dancing and
whisky, the fun grew fast and iuri-
Gus. Soon they could not go with
out their 'chaw." After supper, Mt
midnight, ! saw the four men in the
set squirting streams OF tobacco Juice
right and left Just as it happened,
and laying down to their sport with
infinite gusto. | danced four times,
once each with a Texas widow, a
Cherokee half-breed, and a girl who
herds bucks, and once with an Irish
rustler, "fair, fat and forty" and
might add of the symmetrical pro
portions of hopshead. We were
furnished three good meals; supper
when we arrived; supper again at mid
night, and q hot breakfast in the
morning.
At daylight, after eating heartily,
the boys mounted their horses and
rode home, distance varying from Is
to 40 miles, all declaring that they